Bad news for those of us who hadn't yet realized we were getting this old: After nearly a quarter-century of continuous publication, Nintendo Power is releasing its final issue on newsstands tomorrow. And on the off chance that this isn't enough to get you all misty, wait'll you see how the Magazine actually ends: With a two-page Nester strip by Bill Mudron where you find out that Nester keeps Howard's bowtie in a frame like Jason Todd's Robin costume.

It might be the most heartbreaking thing I have ever seen, and I've seen that episode of Pokémon where Ash has to let Butterfree go.Nintendo Power was one of the cornerstones of my childhood, and while I liked getting the hottest tips and tricks straight from the pros and seeing the occasional "rap" about Mario that popped up in the letter column, it shouldn't come as a surprise that I really liked the comics they'd run. Their long-running Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past epic may have only followed the story of the game in vague terms, but it might've been my first exposure to manga, and that one where Falco beat the crap out of Fox McCloud for his own good? Awesome. It was like They Live with animals.

If nothing else, it looks like NP's getting a pretty awesome send-off, including a cover by Leslie Levings designed to echo the very first (weirdly off-model) issue:

So farewell, Nintendo Power. Thank you for terrifying children with the severed head of Dracula and completely breaking Mario 3 with your guide to the memory game. I... I think I'd better let Whitney take over:

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